Thread: how common are silver quarters in circulation?

I've still never purchased a coin and everything I have is from circulation (until a few coins given to me today by my dad). I've been searching hard for silver quarters for quite awhile now. Today I went through a $500 bag of quarters and didn't see one either. I got my first one from my dad today. Just curious as to how common it is to find them in circulation.

I think you would have better luck with the half dollars, many folks post here with such finds as 64 Kennedys, some old Frankies and a pretty decent amount of the 40%ers

Not at all. I've been a cashier for 20 years, and have found fewer than 10 in circ. Only 1 in the last 2 years.

Joe

Originally Posted by Arizona Jack

I think you would have better luck with the half dollars, many folks post here with such finds as 64 Kennedys, some old Frankies and a pretty decent amount of the 40%ers

I have probably about 90 or so silver Kennedy's so yes they are easier to find. I've yet to find a Franklen though. Just curious cuz I've not found a silver quarter yet. I would figure that working in a bank I would have found one by now.

Originally Posted by hrhomer

Not at all. I've been a cashier for 20 years, and have found fewer than 10 in circ. Only 1 in the last 2 years.

Joe

I think that's pretty amazing that they are that hard to find in circulation. Why is it so much more common to find silver Kennedys or dimes?

Originally Posted by kdkenn

I think that's pretty amazing that they are that hard to find in circulation. Why is it so much more common to find silver Kennedys or dimes?

People use quarters more frequently than halves. They circulate more often and more people have a chance to take the silver out of circulation. The half rolls can sit in the bank for years, even decades... Never found a silver quarter in circulation or in rolls.

Originally Posted by kdkenn

I think that's pretty amazing that they are that hard to find in circulation. Why is it so much more common to find silver Kennedys or dimes?

Mostly cause they were not as widely circulated I suppose. I know if my parents ever got a bunch they would just roll them up and stash them away... after many years go by they end up taking them to the bank along with their other change. Then if you are lucky enough to stop by the bank they dropped them off at then SCORE!

I just hit up a few banks today and did pretty well. First off I scored 3 $25 boxes of Lincoln formative years pennies I also got $25 in regular rolled pennies and have been pulling out all the copper ones and saving them, got about $6-7 worth including a few wheaties and possibly a 70s small date.
I also got about $100 in Nickels and $100 in dimes - all circulated but wrapped from String & Sons fed rolls, found a bunch of pre 64 nickels including a 1942. Also found a 1962 dime
I must say I do have better luck with the Kennedy Halves but I am having a harder and harder time finding them lately...

Don't forget to check the Canada stuff. 1977 and before.

I found a 1941 in my pop machine last week. i was surprised as this is only the second quarter that I have found in circ. My thoughts are that many people use quarters so many people had a chance to take them from circ. Also many know that '64 halves and prior are silver, but few know that the 65-70 also contain some silver. That;s why you will always find for 40% halves verse the 90% halves with fewer franklins than 64's.

I have only found one. Oddly enough, I wasn't a collector at the time. I kept the quarter for some reason (it's a 1948) and just put it away in a desk. Later on of course I learned I made the right decision about keeping it. This had to be five years before I actually became a collector or knew anything about the coin's composition. So the coin is a bit special to me now.

Well KDKenn, let's put it this way.
Last Summer and a bit of Winter I worked with 2 cash registers.

I found lots of wheat cents, a few war nickels, 1 silver dime, and even an Indian Head Cent.

But no silver quarters.

And if the chance of finding an IHC is greater than a Silver Quarter, well, I'd say chances are slim.

I usually find on average about two silver quarters per year. Most come from a local movie theater I've noticed. It's not too surprising however, as the theater is inside a casino and both use the same bank. A few have also come from a change machine in the vending room at work.
Guy~

Convenience store/gas stations are a virtual gold mine these days. I know a girl who works the local xtra mart and has an ear for silver, she hears every silver coin when it hits the counter. People are desperate for cigarettes and gas nowadays and dig out any saved change and even older notes, to pay for their vices. She shows me her finds often and once rec'd 4 Morgans, 5 Peace and a 1920 Pilgrim comem. half for gas. She gets silver certs and red seal $2's in payment for cigs weekly it seems. She says she has good size bag of silver saved from her years of working at this store. Makes me want to get a part time job there.

We had a car wash for many years. Each week we used $2400-3000. worth of quarters(about 1/2 million a year). In 7 years I found ONE silver quarter!!!

I have never ever found any silver quarters roll searching.
Like others have said it is easier to find silver half dollars.

I have also found a few silver dimes roll searching.